Outlet or junction box or the like



June 10., 1930.

J. G. KNIGHT OUTLET 0R JUNCTION BOX OR THE LIKE Filed ar 16, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Jun 10, 1930. J. G. KNIGHT OUTLET OR JUNCTION BOX OR THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 g I INVENTOR Julian 1%nlov1firyhf Filed March 16 1925 A'- REY June 10, 1930. J. G. KNIGHT 1,763,160

OUTLET OR JUNCTION BOX OR THE LIKE Filed Mar oh 16, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Patented June 10, 1930 UNITED STATES JULIAN GORDON EIGHT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK- corner on memoir BOX on was nnm Application filed March 16, 1925. Serial No. 15,819.

This invention relates to outlet boxes, junction boxes, switch boxes and the like and the general objects of the invention are to provide a box of this nature which will be of strong, durable but light construction and which can be made each from a single piece of sheet metal by automatic means and therefore he produced at relatively low cost.

The foregoing and other objects are attained through novel features of construction, combinations and relationsofparts, as set forth in the following specification. V

In the drawings accompanying and 'forming part of this specification, the invention is illustrated embodied in a simple fornrof outlet box construction, butoitshould be understood that the structure may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter defined and claimed.

Figure 1 is a plan view looking into the open-front ofithe box.

Figures 2 and 3 are views of difi'erent sides of the box.

Figure 4 is a plan of the box blank.

Figure 5 is another plan view showing the blank with the knockouts punched, the two screw lugs turned up and the corner locking lugs bent downward,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan of one side vgall showing the corner edges turned up into p ace.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary part sectional view showing the blank in the forming die with the'first two walls, thus carrying the corner locking lugs bent up into final position,

Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 are similar views taken at right angles to the plane of Figure 7 and showing the remaining two side walls in successive stages of being bent up and engaged over the locking lugs and the lugs being turned and then flattened down into place.

The box illustrated is of substantially square outline with a back wall 15 and four integrally connected upstanding side walls 16, 17 18, 19, opposite walls being of similar construction and the four walls being locked together atthe corners by lugs 20 carried by 5b angularly bent extensions 21 on the ends of walls 16, 17 passed through openings 22 in the walls 18, 19.

This box is produced from a blank shaped as shown in Figure 4 with the four side wall sections .16, 17, 18, 19 projecting from the back section 15. inthe form of wings and adaptedto be bent up at right angles to the back substantially on the dotted lines 23. Lugs 24 for the cover attaching screws-are shown provided on this blank as integral ex- 1 tensions of the side wall sections 16 and 17 and in the first bending operation, these lugs are bent upward on the dotted lines 25 after the manner shown in Figure 5. Also in the first bending operation, the corner locking lugs 20 are usually bent down on substantially dotted lines 26, as shown in Figure 5.

Before the blank is bent from the flat form, the necessary openings in the several walls and the desired knocktiuts are punched, for instance as shown in Figures {land 5, which show the. openings 22 for, the locking lugs, the screw openings 27 in the back wall and the screw openings 28 in the side walls punched through and the large and small v size knockout discs 29 and'30 respectively pushed out of the several walls. In this articular disclosure,; three of the small slzed knockouts 30 are arranged diagonally in the back wall with two of the larger sized knock- 3 outs in the remaining two corners of such 1 wall; a row of three small size knockouts is provided in each of the walls 16, 17, and a large size knockout 29 with smaller size knockouts at opposite sides of the same are as provided in each of, the side walls 18, 19. This arrangement is desirable because. of the fact that it provides for practically any desired combination of wiring conduits.

In the second forming up operation, the co corner sections 21 carrying the downward- 7 1y struck locking lugs are bent up on sub stantially the lines 31 to the positions shown in Figure 6.

After these preliminary shaping operations, the partially formed blank may be placed in a press such as shown in Figures 7 to 11 for completing the forming operations. This press comprises generally a punch 32 cooperating with a receding anvil 33 to grip 10o the back wall and carr it down past a pair of formers 35 which end up the remaining two side walls 18, 19. The action of the first side wall formers 3 1 in bringing the side walls 16,17 up into position locates the corners of the walls 16, 17 and cause the corner lugs to pass freely through openings 22.

After this preliminary engagement of the locking parts is effected, the lugs are first turned up against the outer sides of the walls 18, 19 by further movement of the cooperating die members down between formers and finally after the recessed portions 36 of suchformers are passed the lugs are flattened inwardly and brought substantially into the flat plane of the Walls as indicated in Figure 11. In this flattening down operation, the upper edge portions of the walls 18, 19 will be deformed inwardly somewhat as indicated at 37 in Figure 1 beneath the lugs, thus forming curved sides for the lugs which further interlock the parts.

As a result of the gripping of the back wall beneath the die members 32, 33, the partially detached knockout discs are pushed back into the plane of the back wall and similarly as the side walls are forced down between the formers 34, 35, the knockouts in the side walls will be pushed back into the planes of such walls substantiall as indicated in Figures 7, 8 and 9. lhe ox therefore comes from this die mechanism as a substantially completed structure.

The invention, it will be seen, provides an integral one piece outlet, junction or switch box or the like, adaptable to practically any wiring or structural conditions, strong enough to form a chandelier or fixture support, yet relatively light in weight, of a permanent durable character and because of its simple one piece structure and method of manufacture is-relatively inexpensive of production.

The cooperating upper and lower die members 32 and 33 can be made of simple rectangular shape, exce t for the recess 40 provided in opposite si es' of the upper member to pass the inturned screw lugs 24, as indicated in Figure 7.

The square cornered construction of the box provides plenty of room for three knockouts in each side, allowing for a total of four large size and eight of the smaller size knockouts. This feature will be appreciated by the users of the old style boxes which provide room only for a total of ten of the small size knockouts.

What is claimed is:

1. An outlet or junction box or the like comprising a back wall having angularly upstanding side walls; one of the side walls having an inturned end portion engaged inside the end portion of anotherside wall and provided with a locking lug, the outside wall having an opening through which said locking lug projects, the outer wall being indented beneath the overlying portion of the locking lug and said locking lug lying in said indented portion in the outside face of the outer wall to further interlock the two walls, said indented portion overstanding that part of the inturned end portion from which the locking lug extends, whereby the walls are interlocked vertically as well as horizontally.

2. An outlet or junction box or the like comprising a back wall with attached side walls, said side walls having overlapped end portions, one provided with a locking lug and the other with a recess receiving said lockinglug, said recess being in the form of an opening through which the locking lug is extended and the recessed member being crimped beneath the extended portion of the locking lug and said extended portion of the locking lug lying in said crimped part of the recessed member to thereby provide a further interlock between the parts.

3. A box structure such as disclosed comprising a back wall with integral attached side walls bent up from the same, one of the side walls having an inturned end portion engaged inside the end portion of another side wall and provided with a. locking lug, the outside wall having an opening through which said locking lug projects and the outer wall being indented beneath the overlying portion of the locking lug and the projecting portion of the locking lug lying in said indented part to further interlock the two walls.

4. A one piece outlet or junction box or the like comprising a back wall with four integrally attached side walls, two of such opposite side walls having openings therethrough near the ends of the same, the other two opposite side walls having angularly turned end extensions disposed inside the end portions of the first mentioned opposite side walls and provided with integral lugs projecting outward through the openings in the first mentioned walls and bent upward over the outer faces of said first mentioned walls, whereby to rigidly secure the four side walls and positively hold the same against spreading or collapsing tendencies.

5. In an outlet or junction box or the like, a back wall and two angularly related side walls, one side wall having an angularly turned corner extension disposed inside the corner portion of the other side wall, said inside corner extension having an integral lug and the overlying corner portion of the other side wall having an opening through which said lug projects and the projecting portion of said lug being bent in" substantial parallelism over the outer face of the corner portion of said perforated wall.

6. An outlet box, junction box or the like comprising a back wall and attached angularly related side walls united at each corner by a single integral securing lug, one side wall at each corner having an opening for the passage of said lug and said lug being carried by an integral angularly turned corner extension on the other wall disposed fiat against the inner face of the perforated wall,

said lug extending entirely through the opening in the perforated wall, said perforated wall being indented adjacent said opening and said projecting portion of the lug being seated in said indented portion substantially flush with the outer surface of the perforated wall so that said perforated Wall is gripped between the corner extension at the inner face of the same and said flattened lug at the outer face of the same and the outer face of the box where the lug is seated in the indentation is substantially smooth.

7 An outlet box, junction box or the like comprising a back wall and attached angu- -larly related side walls united at each corner by a single integral securing lug, one side wall at each corner having an opening for the passage of said lug and said lug being carried by an integral angularly turned corner extension on the other wall disposed flat against the inner face of the perforated wall, said lug extending entirely through the opening in the perforated wall and bent fiat over the outer face of the perforated wall so that said perforated wall is gripped between the corner extension at the inner face of the same and said flattened lug at the outer face of the same, the projecting portion of the securing lug being indented into the outer face of the perforated wall, whereby said lug is permanently interlocked with and seated in the face of the perforated wall.

8. A metallic outlet box, junction box or the like. having angularly related side walls, one having a perforation near the end of the same and the other having an angularly related corner extension fitting inside the perforated end portion of the first side wall, said angularly related corner extension having a partly detached lug projecting toward the outside edge of said side wall and exouter edge portion of the first wall above tending through the opening in the first side wall toward the edge of the box, said first side wall having a recess therein at the side of said perforation located toward the outside edge of said wall and said lug being impressed inwardly into said recess in the 

